Nutritional Facts

Directions

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Beat in eggs, butter, brown sugar, salt and 1-1/2 cups flour until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a bowl, cut butter into brown sugar until crumbly. Add nuts, egg, cinnamon and vanilla; stir well. Set aside. Punch dough down. Roll to 3/8-in. thickness; let stand for 5 minutes. Cut out 15 circles with a 3-in. round cutter. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Shape dough around filling to form a ball; pinch to seal. Line a baking sheet with foil; grease the foil. To form a tree, place one ball seam side down in the center near the top of the baking sheet. Place two balls 1/4 in. apart in the second row. Repeat with remaining balls, adding one to each row until the tree has five rows. For trunk, shape dough scraps into a rectangle and center under the last row. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla, salt and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over tree, forming garland. Decorate with cherries.Yield: 15 servings.

Originally published as Holiday Tree Bread in Country Woman Christmas
Annual 1999, p19